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Grinnell College is seeking nominations for the 2014 Grinnell Prize. The award program — which annually presents winners with a prize of $100,000 — honors young innovators under the age of 40 who have demonstrated leadership in their fields and who show creativity, commitment and extraordinary accomplishment in effecting positive social change.

“The Grinnell Prize reflects our College’s longstanding commitment to educating men and women who will make a difference in the world,” said President Raynard S. Kington. “We have been impressed by the high quality of nominations that we’ve received in the first years of the prize, and our students benefit greatly from interacting with Grinnell Prize recipients in the classroom and in informal settings on campus. The Grinnell Prize honors those who ‘practice what we teach,’ and we are pleased to have this forum to recognize young people who are raising visibility and creating innovative solutions for some of the world’s most pressing issues.”

About the Selection Process

This year’s selection committee will pick two winners to receive an award of $100,000, half awarded to the individual and half to an organization committed to the winner’s area of social change, for a total of $200,000 in prize monies. Past nominations have spanned a diverse array of social issues, including hunger relief, childhood education, environmental issues, literacy, youth arts, fair housing, violence prevention, immigration, GLBTQ, youth services, hospice care, children’s mental health and global peace, among many others.

The 2013 Grinnell Prize recipients will be announced on Monday, Oct. 28. The 2013 Grinnell Prize recipients will be on campus from Sunday, Nov. 3, through Saturday, Nov. 9, to meet with students and members of the broader community, talk about their work in courses and in public presentations, and receive their Grinnell Prize awards.

About the Grinnell Prize

The Grinnell Prize directly reflects Grinnell’s historic mission to educate men and women “who are prepared in life and work to use their knowledge and their abilities to serve the common good.” Nominations are open to U.S. citizens as well as nationals of other countries. The program hopes to attract nominations across a wide range of fields, including science, medicine, the environment, humanities, business, economics, education, law, public policy, social services, religion and ethics, as well as projects that cross these boundaries. Grinnell especially hopes to receive nominations of those who work in areas that may not be traditionally viewed as directly connected to social justice, such as the arts and business. No affiliation with Grinnell College is required.